One day over the summer, I took a trip to Costco and what did I see standing right in front of my eyes? A big sparkling Christmas tree. It was 98 degrees outside, and I had just walked into Costco, and was reminded of Christmas. Trust me, I love Christmas, but seeing a Christmas tree in August got me a little upset. I had yet to move back into college, or even start packing my stuff back up and I felt like I had to start thinking about Christmas. What am I going to give my friends as gifts?
It’s becoming an unpleasant phenomenon now that stores are starting to put out Christmas decorations earlier and earlier. Pretty soon, stores will have Christmas supplies and decorations out for almost half the year! I do not think this is okay. While I love Christmas, there are other holidays that are being ignored. Everyone forgets about Thanksgiving, since it’s sandwiched between two of the more popular holidays of the year, Halloween and Christmas. Even though there aren’t really any decorations for Thanksgiving, and nothing to buy except food, playing Christmas music on Nov. 1 ignores the holiday, totally. Like I said, I love Christmas but I don’t want to wake up the morning after Halloween and have tinsel and jingle bells shoved in my face. I want to be able to enjoy the interim between the holidays, now I have to stress and worry about Christmas two days after Halloween.
When stores put out Christmas decorations in October, there is a weird juxtaposition between Halloween and Christmas. Sugar skulls, and black bats, and cats directly next to an image of jolly old Saint Nick. It’s not fair for consumers to be bombarded and have to start thinking about Christmas too early in the year, especially when it’s still warm enough to wear short sleeves outside. Working in retail, I hear this complaint often. When I worked on Halloween, I had to set up a new display for Christmas jewelry. As I was setting up the display, more than one customer made a comment about it being “too early” for Christmas stuff. I was wearing a costume and giving out Halloween candy to customers all while setting up a Christmas display.
My store is currently filled with displays of Christmas products and gift sets. I love being able to see all of the fun stuff on display, but at the same time, it’s much too early to think about what I’m buying my friends. Soon, I’ll walk into work and Christmas music will be playing, but I want this to happen on Black Friday, not on Nov. 1.
Here’s my message for you all: Christmas is fun and exciting, but make sure to take time between the holidays to rest. Things are hectic around the holidays and by jumping directly from Halloween to Christmas, there is not an ample amount of time to rest and mentally prepare for the holiday season. Give yourself this month to rest and relax, and spend the Thanksgiving holiday gorging yourself in delicious foods without the stress of Christmas. You don’t need Christmas lights up already; save yourself the stress and just put them up whenever you want to, not as soon as possible. Celebrate Thanksgiving the right way -- with turkey and stuffing -- not wrapping presents and decorating the Christmas tree.
